Power isn't everything [Some spoilers]

Why is it that so many comic fans insist that their favorite must be the most powerful? Why is that important?

What brought this to mind was recently seeing some Green Lantern fans (Kyle division), concerned about the possibility (now that Ion is no longer a part of him) of him ending up as a regular old Green Lantern, no longer possessing the power of Ion, no longer being the "next step" in Green Lanterns. (Keep in mind, please, that any Green Lantern already holds one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. No Green Lantern is a lightweight.) These folks were thrilled when he became Ion (either the first time or more recently), not because of the potential for character development or good stories (which is there, much as I tend to complain about it) but because it meant that he could now beat up anybody else on the block.

It's always been like that, of course. I remember, as a kid, reading the letters pages of comics, where rabid Hulk fans insisted that their boy would always beat the Thing, and vice versa. (IIRC the Hulk fans felt it was an issue of pure power while Ben Grimm's side figured that his relatively-superior brain power would win the day.) You still see it, more often online these days. And, you know, a little of the "Who'd win in a fight, Batman or Captain America?" can be fun. A little of it.

I know I'm not unique in that the power level of a hero has little bearing on whether s/he is a favorite. I don't much care if they're the toughest. (Never much cared whether my dad could beat up the other kids' dads either. :)) Clever, I find interesting. Resourceful I love. Sheer, raw power? Fine if well done, but so often it seems to lead to sloppy storytelling.

To each their own, of course. Superhero comics are fantasy lit, and I'm not about to say that someone else's power fantasies are any less valid than my own admiration for the thoughtful hero. What I don't understand is basing one's fondness for a character so much on his or her unbeatability. If everything is easy for a hero--well, maybe it'd be more pleasant to be that hero, but it's sure less interesting to read about them. I admit that I like the sort of hero who's smart and quick-thinking--but if they're always the one to pull everyone's fat out of the fire, if they never fail to plan for a potential outcome, they're no longer as interesting.

So, so what if Kyle Rayner ends up with a power level more equivalent to that of the rest of the Corps? If he's no longer the toughest guy on the block? Isn't it more interesting to see the way he uses his power--his creativity, remember, has always been his strength and one of the things that makes him unique, and able to extricate himself from situations in ways that other Lanterns wouldn't think of--than to see him simply outpower an endless line of foes?



(The above is entirely and exclusively the opinion of one old and occasionally-crotchety comic fan. :))